How to make your e-commerce site PCI-compliant

In today’s online marketplace, the focus on security is greater than ever before, owing to widespread identity theft and issues like the misuse of personal banking and credit card information.

The Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council (PCI SSC) has therefore proposed guidelines for online marketplaces to follow in order to ensure the safety of consumer data. If you’re running a platform processing cardholder data, you’ll need a reliable, PCI-compliant hosting provider.

The basics behind PCI compliance – why is it important for your business?

The PCI compliance guidelines are not just recommendations; they are mandatory requirements established by major card brands such as American Express, Discover, JCB, Mastercard, and VISA.

If your e-commerce platform doesn’t align with these rules, you might be in for an unpleasant surprise. Large fines are in place to encourage business owners to adequately enforce payment protection measures, and some known cases have exceeded $2 million. Of course, it all depends on the size of your operations and platform, as well as the specific breach case.

Even so, it’s not just a financial burden: being unable to keep your clients’ payment information safe also leads to a poor reputation among consumers, which can’t be good for your business.

Key benefits of running a PCI-compliant website

The main advantage of enforcing payment protection policies on your website is clear: you don’t want to risk getting a fine for not being compliant. However, it goes deeper than that, and these are just some of the main benefits you can expect as a result of PCI-compliant hosting:

• Positive effect on customer trust. While not all consumers might realize the impact of getting their personal or payment information exposed, being PCI-compliant is generally a good sign. It demonstrates that you’re willing to go the extra mile to ensure all payments are processed securely and in accordance with the highest protection standards.
• Keeping your business safe. Reputation is everything for e-commerce platforms, as negative feedback spreads rapidly. So, being PCI-compliant helps keep your website out of harm’s way in terms of legal fees, possible lawsuits, or damaged reputation.
• Ability to process credit card payments. If you don’t ensure utmost PCI compliance, major credit card processors won’t be willing to offer their services to you. While there are other payment methods you can offer, credit cards remain the most commonly used option by consumers in 2025.
• General security benefits. PCI compliance isn’t just vital for payment protection on your platform, but rather for the overall security infrastructure. It’s the crucial step to take to keep your business safe from all sorts of cyber threats.

About the 12 requirements of PCI compliance

The process of obtaining PCI compliance might be a bit confusing to some, especially if you’ve just gotten your e-commerce platform up. Here’s a brief overview of the key points you need to tick to ensure that your website remains compliant:

1. The first requirement set by the PCI Security Standards Council is for you to install and maintain adequate payment protection firewalls.
2. Your website also needs system-wide security configurations without default passwords or settings that would be easy targets for cyberattackers.
3. You also have to make sure that all consumer information is safe on your website. That also includes openly stating what type of cardholder data is stored on the platform, as well as how it’s handled.
4. Payment protection protocols like TLS encryption come right after to keep your consumers’ card data secure while processing payments on an open network.
5. Additionally, you must make sure that proper antivirus and antimalware systems are in place.
6. Plus, you should ensure regular patching and protection from all sorts of cyberattacks.
7. All access to cardholder information and relevant personal consumer data must be restricted to authorized personnel within your company.
8. Users with permission to view these details need to have unique IDs and access codes with multi-factor authentication as an additional layer of security.
9. All physical access to cardholder information has to be restricted to authorized personnel.
10. Access to cardholder and consumer data has to be logged, monitored, and recorded.
11. You need to conduct timely vulnerability tests and scans to identify weak spots and apply appropriate patches.
12. Cardholder data security should be complemented by in-house safety protocols and programs, including security policies, risk assessments, and awareness training obligatory for all personnel.

How to make your website PCI-compliant?

Even though ticking those 12 boxes would make your website PCI-compliant, you still need to earn a PCI Data Security Standard (DSS) status to make it official. The process depends on the size of your company and the amount of cardholder information processed.

Smaller businesses can manually fill Self-Assessment Questionnaires (SAQs), while enterprise-level platforms and e-commerce corporations need to go the extra mile. They usually have to pass annual compliance tests conducted by Qualified Security Assessors (QSAs).

They are authorized personnel who conduct PCI compliance tests according to the 12 points discussed above. If your website checks out, a Report on Compliance (ROC) will be issued. It’s a sign that your platform is deemed compliant by a qualified assessor, under the approval of the PCI Security Standards Council.

Still, it’s a long-lasting process that might take time, effort, and money to obtain the certificate. If you’d like to take a safer and quicker route, you can simply use the services of PCI-compliant hosting providers like Liquid Web.

How secure web hosting helps with PCI compliance

A PCI-compliant web hosting provider, like Liquid Web, with a PCI DSS Level 1 certification, is perfectly suitable for your e-commerce business. It offers customizable hosting solutions for businesses and digital marketplaces of all sizes, from startups to enterprise-level platforms.

Besides complete PCI compliance, Liquid Web also has several different hosting options, depending on your choice of chip. It offers the following configurations for this purpose:

• Intel Xeon E-2456. With 4 cores and up to 32GB of RAM, this option is perfect for smaller or mid-size e-commerce platforms. For $354/month, it guarantees up to 10TB of bandwidth, as well as high-power processing with two SSD memories of up to 960GB.
• Intel Xeon Gold 6226R. This option comes at a slightly higher price tag of $391/month, but it also brings improved performance with 16 cores and up to 64GB of RAM. High-performance computing and a focus on multitasking ensure swift payment processing for high-traffic e-commerce websites.
• Intel Xeon Gold 6226R Dual. The Xeon Gold 6226R Dual features the highest subscription of $615/month, but it also brings advanced, enterprise-level processing with PCI compliance through 32 cores and 128GB of RAM. This plan also comes with increased bandwidth of up to 15TB for swift and secure payment processing and transfers of your consumers' financial data to payment processor brands and financial institutions.

Focus on verified speed and security

Liquid Web offers impressive hosting packages that focus on PCI compliance, speed, and payment security. In addition, its data centers are protected by robust physical and administrative safeguards.

The platform securely processes over 6 million transactions annually. As such, it’s a trusted partner for proper payment management of your e-commerce business. On top of that, Liquid Web features pre-configured servers with regular, automated scans to ensure your website remains compliant.

Liquid Web’s PCI hosting features

Liquid Web is a hosting provider that delivers customizable PCI-compliant plans alongside advanced compliance features. Secure hosting comes first, as evidenced by:

Automated PCI scanning

Regardless of the hosting plan you opt for, you will receive automated compliance scanning. In practice, this means your system will undergo regular scans to ensure your e-commerce platform is aligned with all 12 PCI compliance points.

On top of that, Liquid Web provides automated security solutions that pinpoint safety breaches and weak spots to help you address vulnerabilities proactively. Quarterly scans are generally enough to ensure compliance with all PCI policies and requirements.

Professional support

Liquid Web’s team of customer support experts is available around the clock to assist with all matters regarding your website’s PCI compliance. Unlike standard support systems, this team of professionals maintains physical and cloud servers and hosting packages while focusing on the unique challenges of PCI compliance.

They will guide you through the process of staying compliant and offer expert advice on optimizing your website’s overall payment security.

SSL certificates and encryption

Liquid Web also integrates free SSL encryption for all e-commerce platforms hosted via their servers. By looking at the badge, your customers will know their personal information is safe and encrypted.

SSL encryption is also an obligatory component for meeting the 12 PCI compliance points, as discussed above.

Advanced safety and protection tools

Another key advantage of Liquid Web is its advanced security and protection infrastructure, powered by its DDoS tools and firewalls. These tools ensure maximum network security, giving you confidence that your customers’ payment data is fully protected.

Thanks to firewalls, cardholder data is protected from third-party threats. They control incoming and ongoing payment traffic, while encryption protocols like TLS keep payments safe throughout the transaction.

Additional PCI compliance features

In addition to the benefits mentioned above, Liquid Web offers other neat features. For instance, if you’re running a major e-commerce business, you can use their hosting and PCI protection services for up to 10 IPs per plan.

The platform also provides reliable data backups, safely storing consumer and payment information both off-server and on the cloud. They also cover all forms of hosting, from WordPress and WooCommerce to Nexcess and Magento.

Conclusion

Liquid Web is not just a hosting solution; it is a full PCI-compliant package for e-commerce businesses of all sizes. Regardless of whether you’re managing a startup, an enterprise, or multiple IP platforms, this all-around solution is ideal for ensuring full compliance with the latest payment protection and privacy standards.

It’s your best ticket to avoiding hefty fines or, even worse, losing loyal customers. The focus is on comprehensive compliance support, regular scans, and high-bandwidth hosting, all of which are necessary for fast, secure payment processing.

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